Brexit vote victory easy as PSG, says Michael Gove

Theresa May puts her political life on the line again tonight as MPs vote on her new-look Brexit deal.

Despite managing to wring some “legally binding” concessions out of the EU, overturning the 230-vote mauling she suffered in January remains a fairly tall order.

But according to Environment Secretary Michael Gove, the PM need look no further than last week’s Champions League clash between Manchester Utd and Paris Saint Germain for tips on how to pull off a surprise victory.

The Old Trafford side went into the second leg in the French capital trailing 2-0 from the first leg, and with a team decimated by injuries.
No one outside Salford gave them much chance of progressing to the quarter finals.

But on a European glory night, a dramatic 3-1 victory - secured thanks to a last-minute penalty - saw Utd go through.
On the Today programme this morning, QPR fan Gove said that proved that anything is possible when MPs troop through the lobbies at 7pm.

Before Manchester United played Paris Saint Germain you could have said at that point they hadn’t actually won - but they did,” he said.

“The whole point is don’t preempt the judgement of the House of Commons tonight. The Prime Minister has not failed. She has succeeded in doing what the House of Commons asked her to do which was to secure an amendment to the Withdrawal Agreement.”

One small note a caution, however. Former Tory leader Michael Howard attempted to use a similar analogy during the 2005 general election.

With his party trailing way behind Labour in the polls, he pointed to that year’s Champions League final - which saw Liverpool overturn a 3-0 half-time deficit against AC Milan to win the cup - as proof that the Conservatives were still in with a shout. They weren’t. Labour won comfortably.